Pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

ABSTRACT

A method of generating a fast-rise time voltage step to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasma discharge involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap and at least one dielectric disposed in the gap; generating fast-rise time voltage step such that the rise time to achieve said overvoltage condition is equal to or less than the time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing the overvoltage condition prior to current flow across said electrode gap. Power from storage capacitor banks discharge into the electrode gap through a switch. The switch is capable of standing-off voltage sufficient to create the overvoltage condition when the switch is open. The discharge current pulse across the said electrode gap is terminated by charging properties of the said dielectric(s) in the said electrode gap. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/120,153, filed May 2, 2005, which is incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

For many years, electric gas discharges have been used in a variety ofapplications including etching, deposition, sterilization,functionalization, etc. Commonly, these devices require sub-atmosphericpressures necessitating costly pressure locks and vacuum systems.Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) systems, however, can operate at,below, or even above atmospheric pressure. Most DBD systems have beendriven by continuous wave, radio frequency (RF), power sources. Inrecent years, however, there has been increased use of pulsed powersources. In comparison with the RF DBD's, pulsed power DBD's, with theirgreater instantaneous powers, are able to achieve higher electron andreactive species densities together with higher electron energiesleading to increased exposure dosage and decreased required processingtime. In addition, the pulsed systems tend to be more stable andspatially uniform than the RF DBD's. Thus devices and techniques thatlead to increases in power density without excessive gas heating, arcs,or narrow filamentary discharges are of considerable value.

As noted above, one useful application of plasma discharge systems isthe use of the plasma for sterilization. U.S. patent applicationpublication number US2004/0037736 A1 to Perruchot et al., which ishereby incorporated by reference, contains an extensive backgroundtreatment in the definition of sterilization and the varioussterilization methods currently known and in use. As explained byPerruchot et al., the sterilization methods that use plasma dischargesystems operate by creation of reactive species such as radicals ofionized and/or excited species. Various improvements on plasma dischargesterilization methods are further discussed in Perruchot.

Dielectric barrier discharges are commonly initiated by applying analternating voltage across a gap between two electrodes where one orboth of the electrodes are covered by a dielectric barrier material. DBDare non-equilibrium discharges which typically generate electrons withmean energies of a few eV in a non-thermal background gas. Thedielectric barrier serves to separate the electrode from the plasma andis required to partially inhibit the direct flow of current between thetwo electrodes and distribute the discharge uniformly over theelectrodes. The basic principle in most cases is to produce plasmas inwhich a majority of the electrical energy is used for the production ofenergetic electrons, rather than for gas heating, hence the plasma canenhance the gas phase chemistry without having to elevate the gas phasetemperature (U. Kogelschatz, Plasma Chem. Plasma P. 23, 1 (2003)).

The applied voltage is commonly established in a DBD system using an RFsource such that the peak voltage is slightly greater than the thresholdvoltage required to establish the glow discharge. As the voltage isincreased above the threshold voltage a discharge occurs between theelectrodes after a small time. The time difference between the time thethreshold voltage is reached and the time the discharge initiates isreferred to as the lag time. Typically the voltage rise time in RFsystems is large compared to the lag time, and thus slowly increasingthe voltage beyond this threshold after the discharge has been initiatedwill not increase the voltage potential across an electrode gap.

However, if the rise-times to achieve peak voltage of the voltage pulseare shorter than the lag time between the pulse crossing the thresholdvoltage and the onset of the discharge, the voltage pulse will continueto increase in value towards its peak value prior to the discharge. Theapplication of a fast rising high voltage spike is thus said to createan “overvoltage” condition prior to discharge and has been predicted toproduce among other things, higher energy electrons in the discharge(Bogdanov, J. Phys. D 37, 2987 (2004)). In the parent of the presentapplication, an extreme overvoltage condition is advantageously utilizedto produce a plasma in a DBD arrangement.

To increase the potential across an electrode gap a unipolar rapid risetime rectangular pulsed voltage source using two switching modules wasdeveloped by Liu and Neiger; however, the power source they disclosedproduced only limited discharge currents of a few hundred milliamps(Liu, J. Phys. D 34, 1632 (2001)). Similar results were also reported bySpaan et al. with reported discharge currents up to five hundredmilliamps (Spaan, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 9, 146 (2000)).

Pulse-forming networks were developed by Köhler to produce single rapidrise time voltage pulses (Köhler, Appl. Opt. 33, 3812 (1994)) andBlumlein configurations have been applied to generate rapid rise time,short pulse width voltage waveforms at frequencies ranging from 1 to1000 Hz {Pouvesle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,045 (1997); Khacef, J. Phys. D.35, 1491 (2002); Liu, IEEE Trans Plasma Sci. 33, 1182 (2005)}. Thelimited current outputs are partially solved by Blumlein configurations,but these produce pulses defined in part by the length of thetransmission lines and the impedance across the transmission lines mustbe matched to the load to deliver maximum power. Such impedance matchingmakes it more difficult to scale the output to changes in the load suchas electrode size, gap distance, dielectric, and/or gases solids orliquids in the gap as might be necessary for various applications of theplasma.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention, whichillustrate the method of operation, may be best understood by referringto the detailed descriptions that follow and the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat idealized plot showing the leading edge of thevoltage and current waveforms produced by a pulsed dielectric barriergas discharge (DBGD) device with slow voltage rise times.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat idealized plot showing the leading edge of thevoltage and current waveforms produced by a pulsed DBGD deviceconsistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a fixture used in the development of a DBGDconsistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a DBGD device consistent with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another embodiment of DBGD deviceconsistent with certain other embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the pulse generator 62 consistent with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an example of the leading edge of the voltage and currentwaveforms using the system and methods consistent with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an expanded view of the waveforms illustrated in FIG. 7 usinga system and methods consistent with certain embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a second example of voltage and current traces using differentoperating conditions with the system and methods consistent with certainembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a graph of instantaneous power delivered to the discharge inan experiment carried out with a system and methods consistent withcertain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is another example of the voltage and current waveforms for anexperiment carried out with the system and methods consistent withcertain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a sterilization process consistent withcertain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the sterilization of E. coli thatoccurred in a sterilization experiment carried out with the system andmethods consistent with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram for a method of generating a fast risetime output voltage step consistent with certain embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of generating afast rise time output voltage step utilizing a self triggered spark gap.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of generating afast rise time output voltage step utilizing a triggered spark gap.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of generating afast rise time output voltage step utilizing more than one triggeredspark gap.

FIG. 18 is a trace of output voltage with a repetition rate set near itsmaximum.

FIG. 19 is a trace of output voltage with a repetition rate set near itsmaximum and reverse discharges occurring after the initial plasmadischarge.

FIG. 20, which is made up of FIGS. 20A, 20B and 20C, shows a blockdiagram outlining a few basic embodiments of the mode circuit consistingof (a) a short, (b) a resistance network, and (c) a capacitor andresistor network.

FIG. 21, which is made up of FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C, are plots of outputvoltage and discharge current for mode circuits resulting in a spikeddischarge current and a pedestal discharge current.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment used for alternationof the polarity of the output step in a manner consistent with certainembodiments.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram depicting use of multiple mode circuits inorder to control characteristics of the discharge current in a mannerconsistent with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention permits the detailed embodiment in many differentforms, the drawings and descriptions shown here describe a specificembodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure of thisembodiment is to be considered as an example of the principles and notintended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment shown anddescribed. In the description below, like reference numerals are used todescribe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the severaldrawings. Much of the discussion to follow presents theory of operationthat has not yet been fully proven as of this writing. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be bound by such theories advanced.

The terms “a” or “an”, as used herein, are defined as one or more thanone. The term “plurality”, as used herein, is defined as two or morethan two. The term “another”, as used herein, is defined as at least asecond or more. The terms “including” and/or “having”, as used herein,are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled”, asused herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly,and not necessarily mechanically.

Reference throughout this document to “one embodiment”, “certainembodiments”, “an embodiment” or similar terms means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the presentinvention. Thus, the appearance of such phrases in various placesthroughout this specification is not necessarily referring to the sameembodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or moreembodiments without limitation.

It is emphasized that the present document discloses theory of operationas currently believed and understood. However, one skilled in the artwill appreciate that systems, such as the prototype embodimentsdescribed herein, can be difficult to accurately characterize untilnumerous operating parameters are fully explored. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure offers the inventors' explanations of the physicalphenomenon that have been observed, with such explanations being basedupon the inventors' belief at the time of this writing, but cautions thereader that the present invention is not to be bound by the theorydisclosed herein as currently understood.

For purposes of this document, the following definitions will be used:

Threshold Voltage (V_(TH))—the minimum voltage across the gap of aplasma generation device (glow discharge or glow-like discharge device)necessary to generate a plasma under a given pressure for a particulargas or gas mixture. This voltage varies depending upon the gas in thegap, size of the gap, gas pressure, electrode geometry and dielectricbarrier characteristics.

Lag time (T_(LAG))—the difference between the time the applied voltageacross the gap reaches the threshold voltage (V_(TH)), and the time thatcurrent begins to flow in the gap.

Overvoltage—a condition in which a voltage much greater than V_(TH) israpidly applied across the gap of a plasma generation device.Overvoltage occurs during the Lag Time as described above and no currentflows in the gap. A small incidental overvoltage may occur in pulsedplasma generation devices but this has a small effect unless the appliedvoltage is very high and the rise time is short compared to the Lag Time(T_(LAG)).

Extreme Overvoltage—a condition wherein a high level of overvoltage isestablished—generally speaking, this condition begins to manifest itselfwhen the peak pulse voltage is greater than about 2 times the thresholdvoltage V_(TH). It is believed that extreme overvoltage effects may beobservable as low as approximately 1.5 times the threshold voltage fordischarges. Such extreme overvoltage conditions are possible by using anextremely rapid rise time voltage generator that is able to achieve anextreme overvoltage condition during the lag time (T_(LAG)) precedingthe breakdown.

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) or Dielectric Barrier Glow Discharge(DBGD)—interchangeable terms used to refer to a plasma discharge device,method or event wherein a dielectric barrier is placed between theelectrodes of a plasma generation device.

Filamentary Discharge or Filaments—These terms are used to describe adischarge which has regions of high current density, typically >100microns in diameter, with little or no discharge in the area between thefilaments. This discharge is very non-uniform across the surface of thegap and is typical of many AC discharges. Filaments are alsodisadvantageous in general because they create non-uniformity in theplasma making the plasma's intended use less predictable and reliable.

Pulsed Plasma System or Pulsed DBD or Pulsed DBGD—a plasma generationdevice driven by a pulsed drive signal (as contrasted to a DC or AC(e.g., sinusoidal or RF) drive signal).

Electrode Gap or Plate Gap or simply Gap—the gap between the electrodesof a plasma generation device. A dielectric is generally interposed inthe gap to prevent arcing in dielectric barrier discharge systems.

Runaway electrons—electrons which are continuously accelerated acrossthe gap or some portion of the gap. Electrons in a discharge may undergoinelastic collisions with atoms and molecules which create ions andradicals. As the electron energy increases, the probability of collisionwith a gas atom decreases. At sufficiently high overvoltages, theelectron energy may increase, between collisions, more than the energythat is lost when a collision occurs. Except for the collisions theelectron energy continually increases as the electron accelerates in thegap or some portion of the gap (e.g., prior to a collision). This mayproduce electrons with up to greater than a keV of energy.

Planar Electrode—an electrode can be considered planar as opposed to apoint if the electrode gap is much less than the radius of curvature ofthe point of the electrode.

Gas is used herein to mean either a mixture of gases including mixturessuch as air, as well as a substantially pure gas such as nitrogen.

Current Spike, Initial Spike or Spike Region—the initial spike ofcurrent produced in the discharge across the gap of certain embodimentsconsistent with the present invention; a region of operation of a glowor glow-like discharge according to certain embodiments consistent withthe present invention.

Current Pedestal, Pedestal, or Pedestal Region—a secondary surge or flowof current following the current spike produced in the discharge acrossthe gap of certain embodiments of the present invention; a region ofoperation of a glow or glow-like discharge according to certainembodiments consistent with the present invention.

Plasma Generation Time—the time from the beginning of application ofvoltage across the gap until the time of discharge in a pulsed plasmageneration system.

Sustaining Voltage—the voltage regulating properties of gas discharges.The sustaining voltage is the voltage that the discharge will fall toonce breakdown has occurred.

Glow Discharge—This term, as used herein, is intended to mean both glowdischarge phenomenon and glow-like discharges both of which arecharacterized by a uniform glow between the electrodes as opposed tospark or filamentary discharges.

Discharge—The term is used interchangeably with glow discharge,glow-like discharge, plasma discharge, or plasma.

Object or Object of Matter—This term is intended not only to embracesolid objects but also fluids, gases, liquids, semi-solids and materialsin any state of matter. Thus, for example, reference to placing anobject within a plasma can be interpreted to mean the same thing asexposing a liquid or gas to the plasma.

This invention, in its various embodiments, relates to dielectricbarrier plasma discharges and provides for improved methods ofgenerating high power plasma discharges with an applied overvoltage. Incertain embodiments, this invention addresses a problem of generatingfast voltage rise times, with current capabilities in excess ofkiloamperes, across electrodes of a dielectric barrier discharge withoutthe use of Blumleins by making use of the self-terminating behavior ofdielectric barrier discharges. In certain embodiments, this inventionimproves upon the scalability of the output power with electrode area bygenerating fast rise time voltage steps for dielectric barrierdischarges with internal circuit impedances less than the load impedanceof the gap during discharge.

Turning now to FIG. 1, it is instructive to view an illustration of theleading edge of the voltage and current pulses of a conventional pulsedDBD system in order to appreciate the distinctions associated withembodiments consistent with the present invention. In FIG. 1, a voltagepulse 20 (shown greatly exaggerated in time so that the rise time isapparent) is applied to a pair of electrodes which have a dielectricbarrier disposed between in a conventional manner. A negative-goingvoltage pulse is illustrated to correlate with the measurements used intests conducted on prototypes of certain embodiments of the presentinvention. In this representation, a discharge occurs between theelectrodes starting at time T_(D) which interrupts the voltage waveform.The time difference between the time T_(TH) the voltage reaches V_(TH)and T_(D) is referred to herein as the lag time T_(LAG) as definedabove. At time T_(D), current begins to flow, as illustrated by thepulse in the current curve 24, thus establishing a brief glow dischargebetween the electrodes, until approximately time T_(X). Also at timeT_(X), the voltage reaches its maximum sag as a result of the currentpulse. The discharge has a peak power density that is a function of theproduct of the threshold voltage V_(TH) and the peak current I_(PEAK).In this illustration, the applied voltage drops during the current pulseas the voltage across the dielectric barrier increases. Had a dischargenot occurred, the peak voltage would have been achieved at time T₁.

In conventional DBD devices and systems, the voltage pulse isestablished such that the peak voltage V_(PEAK) is slightly greater thanthe threshold voltage V_(TH) required to establish the glow discharge.Increasing the voltage beyond this threshold may have no noticeableeffect upon the operation of the DBD device since the increased voltagewill simply charge the dielectric barrier and terminate the discharge.As can be seen in FIG. 1, a small overvoltage may occur when applyingthe voltage using a slow rise time, but this is a small percentage ofthe pulse amplitude due to the slow rise time. Increasing the appliedvoltage much beyond the threshold voltage V_(TH) is generally consideredto be of little value. This will be true using conventional pulsegenerators with relatively slow rise times relative to the lag time asillustrated (and exaggerated for clarity in explanation) in FIG. 1.

One of the problems that have conventionally faced those attempting togenerate plasmas using pulse generators has been that it is somewhatdifficult to generate the high pulse voltages required to break down thegap. To simplify the process, the gases placed in the electrode gap areoften gases that more easily breakdown such as Argon or Helium ormixtures thereof. Additionally, to make it even easier to create thedischarge, such gases are often used at lower than atmospheric pressure.Such expedients have also often worked to reduce the lag time (T_(LAG))between reaching the threshold voltage (V_(TH)) and the occurrence of adischarge. In many cases, this leads to near total elimination of thelag time, and the discharge occurs almost immediately when the voltageacross the gap reaches V_(TH).

Therefore, with a low pressure and relatively low breakdown voltage gas,the time lag combined with the rise time has been such that the effectof overvoltage has been entirely unexplored. DBGD systems have evolvedin a manner that even if a scenario were created which caused anovervoltage condition, the level of overvoltage is somewhatself-limiting. Consider for example the overvoltage shown in FIG. 1.This overvoltage represents an extension of the rise time of pulse 20for the duration of the lag time (T_(LAG)). This would create only asmall overvoltage condition that has an insignificant effect on theplasma generated.

Thus, as DBGD systems have evolved, the conventional ways of thinkingabout how to create a discharge have had a great influence on theprogress in this field. As atmospheric glow discharge systems weredeveloped, the designs have gravitated toward the use of more easilyionized gases to relieve engineering problems associated with higherpressure devices. Many of these features naturally inhibited explorationof operational zones involving overvoltage such as those explored inconjunction with embodiments consistent with the present invention.Moreover, the difficulty in obtaining the rapid rise times and extremevoltages and currents to effect the necessary overvoltage condition hasleft this space unexplored.

In accordance with certain prototype embodiments consistent with thepresent invention, a DBD system, operating at either reduced pressure orat atmospheric pressures and driven by a high voltage, short rise timepulsed power supply, has been made that significantly exceeds theperformance of known DBD systems found in the literature. The fast risevoltage pulse creates two distinct discharge regions which are referredto herein as the spike region followed by the pedestal region, asdefined above. This prototype system has been shown to deliversignificantly more instantaneous power (greater than one MW) than otherknown DBD devices. Also the additional power and total energy deliveredduring the pedestal current region are without known precedent. Therapid rise time is used to create an extreme overvoltage, which is thedifference between the DC breakdown voltage for a specific gap distanceand pressure, and the actual applied peak voltage at the time breakdownoccurs. It takes a finite amount of time to breakdown the gas once theDC breakdown voltage is exceeded. For fast rise times, the overvoltagecan be several times the DC breakdown voltage. This overvoltagecondition is reached prior to the breakdown resulting in high levels ofinstantaneous power and other potentially desirable attributes as willbe discussed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a somewhat idealized set of voltage and currentcurves (at the pulse's leading edge) for an embodiment consistent withthe present invention is depicted (exaggerated rise times andoperational regions). Whereas the conventional DBGD systems utilizeeasy-to-discharge gases, FIG. 2 illustrates some of the phenomenon whichoccur when more difficult-to-discharge gases are explored, although thepresent system is capable of operating with a wide variety of gasesincluding the easy-to-discharge gases, using a pulse generator capableof much more rapid rise times relative to the Lag-Time than thoseconventionally used for this purpose. It should be noted that there isno scale associated with either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. For purposes of thisdiscussion, these drawings are only intended to illustrate thedifferences that can be obtained by using extreme overvoltage and rapidrise times.

In FIG. 2, voltage pulse 32 is applied to the electrode gap with a rapidrise time such that the threshold voltage V_(TH) is reached at timeT_(TH) and dramatically exceeded prior to discharge time T_(D). Forpurposes of discussion, a peak voltage is reached at time T_(P) which isjust prior to the time of discharge T_(D). In this example, the peakvalue of the pulse V_(PEAK) is shown to be approximately triple thethreshold voltage V_(TH), resulting in an “extreme overvoltage”condition as defined above. Generally speaking, in experiments to date,the interesting effects of overvoltage begin to manifest themselves whenthe peak voltage V_(P) is about double the threshold voltage. Peakvoltages V_(P) of approximately triple the threshold voltage have beenused experimentally, and even greater voltages are expected to produceeven more dramatic results. Interesting effects may begin to manifestthemselves at lower extreme overvoltage conditions (e.g., 1.5 times or1.75 times the threshold voltage), but generally speaking, higher levelsof extreme overvoltage generate more instantaneous power, and are thuspotentially more useful. Additionally, in some instances achieving theextreme overvoltage condition may be easier when gases that areconventionally harder to break down are used.

In this illustration, it is noted that the rise time to achieve peakvoltage of the voltage pulse 32 is shorter than the lag time T_(LAG)between the pulse 32 crossing the threshold voltage V_(TH) and thebeginning of the current flow as shown by current curve 36. This permitsthe voltage pulse to continue to increase in value to its peak prior tothe discharge at time T_(D). Commonly, the peak voltage is generated byswitching a charged capacitor across the gap. As the initial currentspike is drawn from this capacitor, the gap voltage sags toapproximately the gap threshold voltage. The applied voltage sags to thesum of the threshold voltage and the dielectric capacitor voltage asshown.

The initial spike region is between approximately T_(D) and T_(X) inFIG. 2. Following this initial spike, a pedestal region develops wherecurrent continues to flow after the initial spike and contributessubstantially to the power generated. This pedestal region containssubstantial energy, thus increasing the overall energy and the averagepower created in the discharge. The pedestal region extends fromapproximately T_(X) to approximately T_(S). The source of current forthe pedestal region is apparent since the voltage waveform is seen toramp linearly from V_(TH) to V_(PEAK) during this time. This voltageramp is charging the dielectric capacitor to the peak applied voltagethrough the gap thereby producing the current pedestal. In certainexperiments, the energy in the pedestal region has been measured to beapproximately 50% of the energy delivered in the spike region, thussubstantially increasing the overall energy. The approximate 50% numbershould not be considered limiting in any way since this percentage willvary greatly as the variable operating parameters and circuit parametersare changed.

It can be shown that the extreme overvoltage condition created by theapplication of substantially higher voltage prior to discharge causesbreakdown to occur, and an initial spike of current to flow, at a timewhen the gap voltage is considerably higher than the breakdown voltage.There may be several beneficial aspects to the extreme overvoltage incertain embodiments (but no assertion is made that any or all suchbenefits are obtained in all embodiments consistent with the presentinvention). Due to the high voltages and high current densities, theproduct yields an extremely high instantaneous power density whichgreatly exceeds the power densities in known DBGD systems. Due to thepulsed nature of the discharge the gas temperature remains low withlittle average temperature increase, in experiments run to date.

By way of example, in experiments using the prototype system, a sheet ofordinary writing paper placed in the plasma does not exhibitdiscolorations with the unaided eye that might be expected from anotherplasma system. The gas temperature depends upon the specific operatingconditions of the system such as the pulse frequency, power density, gaspressure among other things so that the average gas temperature couldrise under certain operating conditions The average energy of the gas ismore than 1 order of magnitude less than the average energy of theelectrons. A fraction of the electrons generated in the plasma are veryenergetic and may be utilized as a means to cause rapid heating ofsurfaces under appropriate conditions. The energetic electrons arebelieved to be a result of the, overvoltage which provides theaccelerating potential to generate the high energy electrons in thedischarge, i.e., a runaway electron condition is believed to exist inthe spike region.

The runaway electrons may be used in a beneficial manner for certainapplications. No runaway electrons are believed to be produced in thepedestal region in experiments to date since it is believed that the gapvoltage cannot be greater than the breakdown (or sustaining) voltage ofthe gap. In another potentially beneficial aspect, a theoreticalanalysis of the discharge indicates that a shock wave is created in thegas at each pulse from the pulsed voltage source. By way of inference,particles placed in a tray and exposed to the discharge are displaced;the extensive displacement of the particles is believed to be a resultof the shock wave. This shock wave may be advantageously utilized forcertain applications. For example, the shock wave has been observed toagitate small particles placed in the plasma. Such agitation couldpossibly be useful, for example, in functionalization processes toprevent the small particles from becoming agglomerated, and mayfacilitate more even exposure of the particles to the plasma. Again,however, it is emphasized that the actual presence of shock waves andrunaway electrons are presently theorized, and that the presentinvention should not be limited by the current understanding of thetheory of operation of the experimental prototype.

In certain embodiments consistent with the present invention, a customdesigned rapid rise time pulse generator was developed in order toachieve the high voltages and currents needed to produce the desiredovervoltage condition. This custom designed pulse generator, at thiswriting, was capable of generating voltage pulses in excess of 27 kVwith a rise time of 100-350 ns. The overall plasma generation system hasinstantaneously generated power in the range of 800 kW to 1 MW for about20 nS, and has produced pedestal current with power and duration on theorder of 24 kW and 300 nS. This is approximately triple the voltage andfive times the current of the nearest known systems at this writing. Theresulting instantaneous power density is correspondingly greater. Sincethis power density is so much higher than other discharges described inthe literature, the density of charged particles is estimated to be 1-2orders of magnitude greater than that of other previously reporteddielectric barrier discharges.

In one embodiment, the system is driven by a high voltage pulsegenerator which uses a switch tube to switch high voltage onto avariable parallel capacitance (in parallel with any stray capacitance),a pulse sharpener (pulse shaper), and finally the DBD system, as will bedescribed later. It is noted that the prototype system operated withoutbenefit of the pulse sharpener, but it is believed that use of suchpulse sharpener will further enhance operation. The prototype systemused for experiments described herein has two parallel plates, betweenwhich materials may be placed for etching, deposition, sterilization,functionalization, etc.

Various gases may be introduced at a controlled flow rate around theelectrodes or through them by means of small holes in the plates or in achamber surrounding the parallel plates. The parallel plates have atleast one side covered with a dielectric that will withstand the appliedvoltage. Alumnia (Al₂O₃), boron nitride (BN), glass, and polyimide filmssuch as DuPont Kapton® have been utilized in tests and proven to behardy enough to withstand the high voltage pulsing. The best dielectricidentified to date has been alumina. Higher dielectric constantmaterials could be used, providing they can withstand the appliedvoltage. A higher dielectric material is desirable because it wouldincrease the capacitance, which in turn would store more charge andprovide increased discharge duration.

In carrying out certain of the experiments to be described, the basictest setup shown in FIG. 3 was used. In this setup, the two electrodes50 and 52 are mounted within a chamber 54. The top electrode 50 ismounted to the upper surface of the chamber 54 with threaded studs andnuts 58. The gap can be adjusted for various experiments using thethreaded studs, by shimming or otherwise adjusting the position of thetop electrode plate 50 in relation to the bottom electrode 52. Gapsranging from less than 1 mm to 8 mm have been used in experiments withthis setup. The dielectric barrier 56 in this fixture is a 0.025 inch(0.635 mm) thick 4.0×4.0 inch (10.16 cm×10.16 cm) Alumina (Al₂O₃) plateattached to the electrode 50. The electrode as shown is rectangular, butin certain cases a circular plate, e.g., a 1.125 inch (2.858 cm)diameter plate, was used. Also, although only the upper electrodeincluded a dielectric barrier, other arrangements such as a dielectricbarrier on the bottom electrode or both electrodes have been used.

The lower electrode 52 is mounted in a rigid configuration to thermallyconductive blocks that can be used to connect the lower electrode 52 tothe pulse generator (or make a ground connection as shown). Asoriginally developed, large amounts of heat were anticipated, andcertain provisions were made in the fixture to provide for liquidcooling. However, the plasma generated has been quite cool, removing theneed to cool the electrodes in experiments conducted to date.

In this illustration, a rapid rise time pulse generator 62 is coupled tothe upper electrode and ground such that the pulses are applied acrossthe electrode plates 50 and 52 of the fixture. Gases can be introducedand mixed in a gas mixing chamber 64 and delivered to the interior ofthe fixture via port 66. The gas mixture can be vented or pumped outusing pump 68 through port 70. Experiments have been successfullyconducted with internal chamber pressures ranging from approximately 300Torr to approximately 1100 Torr. It is anticipated that the presentarrangement could also operate at higher and lower pressures.

For the test setup, an Ocean Optics Spectrophotometer (model HR 2000)was used as an emission spectrometer to detect the species present inthe plasma by resolving the plasma emission spectrum from about 200 to1100 nm in wavelength. Mass Flow Controllers 73 or other devices can beused to control the flow of gases into the mixing chambers. In presentexperiments Mass Flow Meters were used to control and limit the flow ofgases since the system was operated at atmospheric pressures. A port 75is provided in the test fixture for a photodiode or other device formeasuring or monitoring the optical intensity.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a simplified schematic block diagram of thefirst embodiment of a glow discharge device is depicted. In thisembodiment, the first electrode 50 has an attached dielectric barrier56. A second electrode 52 is located below the dielectric barrier. Theelectrodes are separated by a gap 82. The rapid rise time pulsegenerator 62 is used to apply the extreme overvoltage condition to theelectrodes 50 and 52 as previously described. The gap is the spacebetween the dielectric and the lower electrode.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment is shown. Bycombining a low frequency RF voltage with the pulsing system, a higherextreme overvoltage condition can potentially be achieved than with thepulsing system alone. In this embodiment the phase of the pulse,relative to the RF voltage, can be controlled with a sensing and controlcircuit so that the pulse may be positioned at any point on the RFwaveform. The combination of AC and pulsed operation raises the baselineof the pulse so that the overvoltage is increased by the amplitude ofthe applied RF voltage. The rapid rise time pulse generator 62 of thisembodiment is used in conjunction with an AC or RF source 86(sinusoidal, square wave, pulsed or any other suitable alternatingcurrent waveform) to apply the extreme overvoltage condition to theelectrodes 50 and 52 as previously described. In this embodiment the useof the AC source 86 again is used to further increase the degree ofextreme overvoltage condition appearing across the gap 82. Timing may becontrolled using any suitable mechanism which derives timing for thepulses from the AC source 86.

In yet another embodiment not shown, a hybrid arrangement may beprovided in which a DC offset in conjunction with an AC source and thepulse generator 62 are combined in a manner which further maximizes theextreme overvoltage condition.

FIG. 6 depicts a rapid rise time pulse generator 62 in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present invention. In this embodiment, acommercial or custom designed high voltage power supply 100 is providedwhich produces, for example, greater than 15 KV. In the prototypeembodiment, a commercial 30 kV supply was utilized. The limit of 27 kVis the maximum voltage that the switch tube was conditioned towithstand. The output of the high voltage power supply is connected to aresistor 104 (e.g., 30K ohms, 300 Watts) in series with a capacitor 108(e.g., 0.025 μF, 30 KV). The switch tube 124 will switch the voltage onthe high voltage side of capacitor 108 to ground which, in turn,reflects a negative going high voltage pulse to the output. This outputis shown passing through a pulse shaper (pulse sharpener) circuit 112(e.g., a winding on a saturable torroidal core with a bias winding usedto reset the core between pulses.) which further decreases the risetime.

A low level pulse generator circuit 116 is used to control a highcurrent switch circuit 120. The high current switch circuit grounds thecathode of a high current switch tube 124 thereby biasing the tube in aconducting state. The vacuum tube is a high voltage, high current switchtube such as an industry standard type 4PR60C (Y543) pulse tetrodevacuum tube, available from Communications and Power Industries (such asthose manufactured by Eimac). The high current switch circuit isrealized in the prototype using high voltage IGBT switching transistorssuch as industry standard number APT13GP120BDF1, commercially availablefrom Advanced Power Technology. An adjustable or fixed capacitor 128 canalso be used in parallel with the output, preceding the pulse shaper112, in accordance with certain embodiments.

The switch tube 124 provides an initial fast rise time for the pulse andthe pulse shaper refines the pulse to decrease the rise time and therebyincrease the overvoltage condition. The parallel capacitance 128 (plusstray capacitance such as the plate to screen capacitance of switch tube124) provides the initial current spike. The parallel capacitance istunable so that the charge available for the spike can be varieddepending on the application. A current transformer and high voltageprobe (not shown) were used on the pulse circuit output to provide thedata for the I-V curves shown later. The dielectric barrier 56 used inthe experiments to be described is a 0.025 in. thick plate of highpurity alumina which covers one of the electrodes (e.g., 50). A singledielectric barrier or a dielectric barrier on each electrode may be usedwith similar effect. The electrode area may range from as small as 1square centimeter to several hundred square centimeters or more. Thedischarge characteristics as exemplified in the following traces willscale with electrode area, so long as the power supply capacity isscaled to compensate for larger electrode area. The scale factor ofpower with area is approximately linear.

FIG. 7 and all traces subsequent thereto are drawings generated byreference to photographic images of actual test traces. Accordingly,they should be viewed as approximations of the actual test data.Evidence of the increased plasma power is shown in the reproduction ofvoltage and current traces shown in FIGS. 7-8. During these experiments,the gas used was nitrogen, the gap between the electrodes was 3.5 mm,and the dielectric was a 0.025 in thick 4.5 in×4.5 in Al₂O₃ plateattached to the top 1.125 in diameter circular electrode.

FIG. 7 shows a reproduction of a voltage trace 140 and a current trace150 as obtained from actual experimental data. In this graph, thevoltage scale is 5 KV/division, the current scale is 10.0 Amp/divisionand the sweep speed is 250 ns/division. The spike region 152 of thecurrent pulse represents an initial spike of current through the gapduring the initial part of the discharge. The spike region begins afterthe pulse voltage has reached its maximum value (at the end of the pulsegeneration time) and the end of the lag time. The pedestal region 156begins immediately following the spike region. The widths of spikeregion 152 and pedestal region 156 should not be viewed as absolute fromthese drawings, since the drawings are illustrations of the actualvoltage traces and since the actual beginning and end of such regions isdifficult to identify due to the decaying nature of the trailing edges.

The extremely large spike occurs by virtue of the rapid rise time of thevoltage pulse which causes the voltage to reach its maximum value beforeconduction begins. According to certain embodiments, the extremeovervoltage condition is achieved well in advance of the plasmageneration time so that a very high voltage is achieved at breakdown.This accounts for the very high current flow once conduction in the gapbegins.

FIG. 8 shows an expansion of the breakdown in the spike region of theprior graph. In this graph, the voltage scale is 5 KV/division, thecurrent scale is 10.0 Amp/division and the sweep speed is 5.0ns/division. This illustrates that a peak current of about 40-50 A wasachieved.

The traces in FIG. 7 show the high current spike at 152 followed by thepedestal current region 156. During the initial part of the currentspike, as shown in FIG. 8, the current increases rapidly while thevoltage begins to ramp down in accordance with the integral of thecurrent waveform divided by the parallel capacitance. From analysis ofthe schematic of FIG. 6, it can be seen that the voltage drops becausethe stray capacitance and parallel capacitance discharges into the gap.The voltage decreases until the spike ends. The pulsed power supply thenreplenishes the charge on the parallel capacitor after the spike, and inthe process it produces the pedestal current region. Once the dielectriccapacitor is fully charged (to approximately the pulse voltage) all thecurrents decay to zero until the next pulse. The voltage decrease in thespike region and the voltage increase in the pedestal region areapproximately linear as a function of time.

The plasma formed by the pulse is very uniform, as observed by eye, withslight variations in current density across the surface. The variationsin current density are much smaller than for filamentary discharges andany filamentary discharges that do occur do not remain in a fixedposition at the electrode. The variations in the discharge will lead tomany stochastically spaced spikes on the current trace. The uniformitycan be seen in the current waveforms after a short conditioning periodthat is believed to remove impurities from the electrodes. An exemplaryuniform glow waveform after conditioning is depicted in FIG. 9. Theaverage current in the pedestal in this case is approximately 7-8 A forabout 350 ns. In this trace, the current spike is relatively smallbecause the overvoltage was small. In this case, operating parameterswere adjusted to cause early breakdown on the leading edge with minimumovervoltage. However, even at the lower overvoltage condition thecurrent waveform is very smooth, which indicates that the discharge isuniform. This set of curves was generated at a pulse repetitionfrequency of 300 Hz and is typical of data taken for up to 5000 Hz. InFIG. 9, the voltage scale is 5 KV/division, the current scale is 10.0Amp/division and the sweep speed is 500 ns/division.

The uniformity in the current waveform is also evidence of theuniformity across the discharge area. The discharges appear to be atleast as uniform as the glow-like discharges described by Golubovskii etal. (Yu B. Golubovskii et al., J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys 37, 1346, 2004)who worked at significantly lower voltages and power levels. The smallnumber of filamentary discharges that are seen appear to bestochastically distributed in space and time and thereby do not remainfixed. As a result, the small number of randomly distributed filamentarydischarges contribute very few (if any) localized effects on thesubstrate surface

From an analysis of the schematic and a typical I-V curve, the powerinput into the discharge is approximated in the graph of FIG. 10. Theinstantaneous power in the plasma is based on the calculated voltage ofthe gap, and the I-V curves reproduced in FIG. 11. The energy depositedin the discharge by the spike and the pedestal regions are approximatelyequal (within a factor of 2). In FIG. 11, the voltage scale is 5KV/division, the current scale is 10.0 Amp/division and the sweep speedis 250 ns/division.

Power such as that shown above is achieved from a system which was builtto achieve fast rise time and deliver substantial current at breakdown.The fast rise time allows an extreme overvoltage condition to bedeveloped prior to the discharge. The extreme overvoltage is responsiblefor the high current spike into the discharge. Increased currentdensities help to make the discharge more uniform. Generally speaking,the usefulness of a DBD is directly related to the dose of activatedspecies in the plasma. The dose is the energy density or power per unitarea multiplied by the time. The exceedingly large power densities inthis plasma promise to make it much more effective in certainapplications than most systems found in the literature.

The average energy of the electrons in the discharge is significantlyhigher than in other DBD systems that do not have extreme overvoltages.At sufficiently sharp rise times and overvoltages, runaway electrons arebelieved to be produced. (Runaway electrons are the fraction ofelectrons which undergoes continuous acceleration across the gap.) Thethreshold for runaway electrons in nitrogen, in terms of electricfield/pressure, is approximately 150V/cm-Torr. The prototype used forthe experiments described above can operate in the 190,000V/cm regime innitrogen, which corresponds to approximately 250V/cm-Torr. This electricfield/pressure is sufficiently high to produce runaway electrons withenough potential to produce x-rays. The ions, radicals, metastables, andother excited atomic and molecular species are limited to low energiesdue to their larger mass and due to energy loss as a result ofcollisions with neutral gas particles.

Without a fast rise time (i.e., fast enough to produce extremeovervoltage prior to the discharge), no extreme overvoltage can occurand the discharge is limited to DC breakdown voltages. The mostefficient discharge in terms of overall current, excited species, highdose etc. is expected to be a pulsed system with a fast rise time. Theplasma system described can be operated at atmospheric pressure (as wellas other pressures) using N₂, air, O₂, Ar, Kr, Ne, He, SF₆, CF₄, CO₂,CO, acetylene, or any mixture of these or many other gases.

The use of SF₆ highlights the benefit of using the fast rise time pulsedsystem. SF₆ is a high dielectric constant gas with a high breakdownvoltage and is frequently used to stop discharge formation. Itsbreakdown voltage is higher than the breakdown voltage of the othergases mentioned. It is thus a very difficult gas in which to produce aglow discharge. However, as with all gases tested, a high currentdischarge in SF₆ was easily obtained using the present prototype system.All gases examined have produced acceptable results as a discharge gas.The discharge can also be operated under vacuum or even higher thanatmospheric pressures. Certain benefits of systems such as the prototypesystem described are best seen at higher pressures, but embodimentsconsistent with the present invention are in no way limited to anypressure range. Atmospheric pressure and air may be of particularinterest in certain embodiments since processes can be carried outwithout the necessity of evacuation of the chamber and filling with aspecified gas mixture, while other applications may require the presenceof a particular gas.

A range of possible applications for this plasma technology is listedbelow. Plasma systems have been used in many of these instances, whileothers of the applications are merely theorized at present, and it isanticipated that the present plasma system can similarly be used. Suchapplications include, but are not limited to, plasma sterilization,blood plasma sterilization, ozone generation, Excimer lamps and lasers,surface modification and functionalization, surface cleaning of organicresidues, reactive ion etching of materials, plasma enhanced chemicalvapor deposition of materials, enhanced atomic layer-deposition,enhanced catalysis, plasma polymerization, hydrogen production bystripping hydrogen from larger molecules, plasma displays, air pollutionabatement and remediation, to mention a few. Systems consistent with thepresent invention can be used in combination with other apparatus suchas a substrate heater, a sample loading system, or a continuous feedsystem for processing rolls of material. One example would includesterilization of coated paper product surfaces (e.g., milk cartonmaterial).

In accordance with certain embodiments consistent with the presentinvention, the plasma voltage and current traces show a spike formed atthe start of the discharge, followed by a pedestal current region thatcontinues until the dielectric is fully charged. The discharge thenshuts off. This is in contrast to other systems in which the currentshuts off immediately after the original spike. The extreme overvoltageundergoes a voltage decrease during the initial spike. The power supplythen replenishes the voltage and thereby produces the pedestal currentregion in the gap. The pedestal region appears to be unique to systemswith such an extreme overvoltage condition and robust power supply.

The extreme overvoltage occurs because the voltage rise time is fastenough for the voltage to reach extreme overvoltage during the lag timepreceding the formation of the discharge. Thus the voltage appliedacross the electrode gap is substantially greater than the normal DCbreakdown voltage at any electrode spacing. This helps produce a normal,glow-like plasma and avoids the generation of high current filaments.Filaments are easily formed in low current discharges because, smallareas of the dielectric may be charged independently. At very highcurrent densities, there is no chance for widely separated charges tofunnel into a single point. Dumping the total charge on the dielectric,in effect, forces the spreading of charge in a uniform manner across thesurface.

In accordance with certain embodiments, various attributes of thedischarge have been observed and these can be enhanced to suit therequirements for particular applications. Many of these attributes maybe advantageous for various applications. By way of example, and withoutany suggestion that any or all of the present attributes are necessaryconditions which are present in any given embodiment, the followingobservations (and associated theories) are presented:

1. The DBD discharge created by the pulsed system forms two distinctplasma regions which are a.) an initial high current spike, followed byb.) a longer duration lower current pedestal region.

2. The above prototype has demonstrated the highest known instantaneouspower in the spike region. Instantaneous discharge power of ≧1 MW in thespike region and instantaneous discharge power of ≧23 kW in the pedestalregion have been achieved.

3. The large spike power appears to be due to the overvoltage created bythe fast rise time of the pulsed power supply and the parallelcapacitance in the system which discharges rapidly into the gap. Tuningthe parallel capacitance should permit variation in the size and shapeof the initial spike. This allows tuning of the spike for variousapplications.4. A pulse sharpener can be used to decrease the rise time, therebyincreasing the overvoltage, and thereby increasing the spike andpedestal power.5. The noted pedestal region's instantaneous and total power isunprecedented. The pedestal region is created because the power supplymust replenish the voltage that is initially discharged in the spikeregion. The prototype power supply design is believed to provide therapid voltage replenishment which gives rise to a pedestal current.6. To date, the highest DBD current density achieved has beenapproximately 10 A/cm². This is dramatically higher than known systemsare able to produce. More power means higher dose and faster operationfor most applications.7. The high peak power and low average power in the system providessubstantial instantaneous gas heating, while the average gas temperatureand work-piece can be kept cool.8. The system can be scaled almost linearly with electrode size, i.e.,the characteristics of the plasma will be nearly identical if theavailable power is scaled with the electrode area.9. The sharp rise time which produces the extreme overvoltage is alsobelieved to increase the average electron energy some of which attainhigh electron energies which are believed to be runaway electrons. Thissystem is believed to produce runaway electrons which may providebeneficial aspects in certain applications such as plasma sterilization.10. The runaway electrons produced when an extreme overvoltage conditionis used to produce the plasma are believed to have the necessary energyto produce x-rays.11. A combined RF and pulsed power supply can potentially be used toachieve higher overvoltages without altering the pulse generator. Thisincreases the power to the pulses and increases the energy of theelectrons. A synchronizer can be used for timing the generation ofpulsed voltage so that pulses are applied at the most beneficial part ofthe RF voltage waveform.12. The high voltage attainable with this system provides a largerworking distance (gap) than with known conventional RF DBD systems. Aworking gap of 7-8 mm has been used successfully during nitrogen plasmageneration using the present pulsed mode power supply.13. The prototype DBD system appears to be capable of using virtuallyany gas and has been used with the following gases and mixtures ofgases: N₂, air, O₂, Ar, Kr, Ne, He, SF₆, CF₄, CO₂, CO, and acetylene.14. A shock wave is believed to be created in the plasma due to thedeposition of power in the working gas over a shorter time than theacoustic transit time in the gas. Therefore, in some instances, acontainer is required to contain small particles being treated so thatthe shock wave does not move them from the working area. As noted, thisshock may be useful for agitation or other purposes.

Embodiments consistent with the present invention may be well suited forsterilization applications. In order to achieve sterilization, a processsuch as that depicted in FIG. 12 can be used, starting at 203. An objectof matter (whether solid, liquid, gas, etc.) to be sterilized is placedwithin the gap of the plasma generator at 207. A desired mixture ofgases is provided at 211 as an environment for the discharge. Inexperiments to date, the gas environment does not seem to be critical.An extreme overvoltage condition is then created across the gap by usinga rapid rise time pulse generator at 215. This process has been used totreat the object at 219 and to kill bacteria and possibly other virulentbiological materials. After a prescribed time, which can be determinedexperimentally, the sterilized object can be removed from the electrodegap at 223. The process ends at 227. It is believed that the electronsproduced in the system are responsible for the very rapid sterilization.This is the first known use of electrons extracted from a plasma toachieve sterilization.

Sterilization has been successfully carried out using the prototypedevice described above. Consider, for example, the followingexperiments:

EXAMPLE

An example of the effects of sterilization is given below. An experimenton E. Coli bacteria was performed using a nitrogen plasma operated at 22kV, a 3-4 mm electrode gap spacing, approximately 10 A spike current andapproximately 2 A peak pedestal current. The pulse repetition rate wasapproximately 300 pulses per second, thus the overall exposure to theplasma represents a relatively small percentage of the time. E. Coli wasdeposited on polystyrene substrates and exposed to the plasma for 5, 10,and 15 seconds total time. Other samples were exposed for minutes ratherthan seconds. When cultured using an agar solution for 3 days at roomtemperature, the control samples showed on average 500 colonies ofbacteria on the surface. When the exposed samples were cultured usingthe same conditions, the results are shown in FIG. 13. All exposuresgreater than approximately 30 seconds resulted in no detectablecolonies. As can be seen from the graph of FIG. 13, the actual time ofexposure to the plasma for each test sample was approximately 1.25 mS,2.5 mS and 3.75 mS respectively for 5, 10 and 15 seconds of total timeof operation. Thus, in a more optimized system, actual time of exposurecould be dramatically shortened by increases in the pulse repetitionrate.

Sterilization using plasma discharges based on the generation andutilization of ions, ozone, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation is known. Ina nitrogen plasma 316 nm is the lowest energy UV wavelength observed.Based upon the literature UV exposure at this energy does not accountfor this dramatic reduction of the bacteria population in this shortexposure time. Ozone exposure, and thermal exposure, both well knownmethods of sterilization, do not appear to account for the dramaticreduction of the bacteria population in this short period of exposuresince only trace amounts of oxygen containing gases are present and theaverage gas temperature remains low. It is believed that the average ionenergies in the plasma are very low and not sufficient to completelypenetrate the cell walls. Ions could erode the cell wall through ionsputtering given enough time at low energies. There are accounts of theuse of reactive gases in the plasma to generate ions and free radicalsthat are chemically very reactive and which quickly react with and erodethe cell wall. However, nitrogen has not been described for this purposebecause it is well known that nitrogen is not as corrosive to organicmaterials as oxygen, hydroxide, or other oxygen bearing species are. Itis therefore believed that the cause of the sterilization is bombardmentof the cells by electrons that penetrate and destroy the cells.

Two anecdotal experiments appear to further confirm this hypothesis. Inthese experiments, sterilization of E. Coli was carried out in aninoculated culturing media manufactured by 3M corporation in oneexperiment. In another experiment, samples of 3 ml of water weresterilized using the plasma. In the water experiment, it was observedthat the water moved and flattened out into a film during exposure tothe plasma. In both cases, sterilization was achieved. It is believedthat the electrons have the requisite energy and are responsible for theobserved sterilization.

Thus, a dielectric barrier plasma discharge device consistent withcertain embodiments of the present invention has a pair of electrodesspaced apart by an electrode gap. A dielectric is disposed between theelectrodes. The electrode gap is provided with a gas at a specifiedpressure. A rapid rise time voltage pulse generator produces a voltagepulse across the electrodes to cause an extreme overvoltage condition,wherein the rapid rise time is less than the plasma generation time sothat the extreme overvoltage condition occurs prior to current flowacross the electrode gap. The resulting plasma can be utilized to carryout many potential tasks including, but not limited to sterilization.

A method of generating a glow discharge plasma, consistent with certainembodiments hereof involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apartby an electrode gap, and having a dielectric disposed in the electrodegap between the electrodes; placing the electrodes within an environmentwherein the electrode gap can be provided with a gas at a specifiedpressure; and applying a rapid rise time voltage pulse across theelectrodes to cause an extreme overvoltage condition, wherein the rapidrise time is less than a plasma generation time so that the extremeovervoltage condition occurs prior to current flow across the electrodegap.

A method of generating a glow discharge plasma for sterilizationconsistent with certain embodiments involves providing a pair ofelectrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap, and having a dielectricdisposed in the electrode gap between the electrodes; placing theelectrodes within an environment wherein the electrode gap can beprovided with a gas at a specified pressure; applying a rapid rise timevoltage pulse across the electrodes to cause an extreme overvoltagecondition, wherein the rapid rise time is less than a plasma generationtime so that the extreme overvoltage condition occurs prior to currentflow across the electrode gap; and exposing an object of matter to theplasma for a specified time, thereby sterilizing the object.

A dielectric barrier plasma discharge device consistent with certainembodiments has a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap. Adielectric is disposed between the electrodes. The electrode gap isprovided with a gas at a specified pressure. A rapid rise time voltagepulse generator produces a voltage pulse across the electrodes to causean extreme overvoltage condition, wherein runaway electrons aregenerated in the plasma.

A method of generating a glow discharge plasma consistent with certainembodiments involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by anelectrode gap, and having a dielectric disposed in the electrode gapbetween the electrodes; placing the electrodes within an environmentwherein the electrode gap can be provided with a gas at a specifiedpressure; and applying a rapid rise time voltage pulse across theelectrodes to cause an extreme overvoltage condition wherein a runawayelectron condition is generated in the electrode gap.

A dielectric barrier plasma discharge device consistent with certainembodiments has a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap. Adielectric disposed between the electrodes. The electrode gap isprovided with a gas at a specified pressure. A rapid rise time voltagepulse generator produces a voltage pulse across the electrodes to causean extreme overvoltage condition, wherein a shock wave is produced inthe plasma.

A method of generating a glow discharge plasma involves providing a pairof electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap, and having a dielectricdisposed in the electrode gap between the electrodes; placing theelectrodes within an environment wherein the electrode gap can beprovided with a gas at a specified pressure; and applying a rapid risetime voltage pulse across the electrodes to cause an extreme overvoltagecondition wherein a shock wave is generated in a plasma generated in theelectrode gap.

A dielectric barrier plasma discharge device consistent with certainembodiments has a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap. Adielectric disposed between the electrodes. The electrode gap isprovided with a gas at a specified pressure. A rapid rise time voltagepulse generator produces a voltage pulse across the electrodes to causean extreme overvoltage condition, whereby, current flowing between theelectrodes can be characterized by an initial spike in current followedby a pedestal region wherein current continues to flow after the initialspike in current.

A method of generating a glow discharge plasma involves providing a pairof electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap, and having a dielectricdisposed in the electrode gap between the electrodes; placing theelectrodes within an environment wherein the electrode gap can beprovided with a gas at a specified pressure; and applying a rapid risetime voltage pulse across the electrodes to cause an extremeovervoltage, whereby, current flowing between the electrodes can becharacterized by an initial spike in current followed by a pedestalregion wherein current continues to flow after the initial spike incurrent.

A method of sterilizing an object of matter in a manner consistent withcertain embodiments involves generating a plasma exhibiting a runawayelectron condition; and exposing the object of matter to the plasma fora specified time, whereby the object is bombarded with high energyelectrons to sterilize the object.

In the above methods and apparatus, it is thus believed that an objectcan be exposed to the plasma for a specified time, in order to effect atleast one of the following: plasma sterilization, blood plasmasterilization, Ozone generation, surface modification andfunctionalization, surface cleaning of organic residues, reactive ionetching of materials, plasma enhanced chemical vapor depositionmaterials, enhanced atomic layer deposition, enhanced catalysis, plasmapolymerization, surface heating, hydrogen production from stripping ofhydrogen from larger molecules, plasma displays, air pollution abatementand air pollution remediation. It is further believed that generatingexcited species in the plasma can be used to produce one of thefollowing: an Excimer lamp, lasers, and a CO₂ lasers.

In various actual experiments conducted, Helium, Nitrogen, Argon,Krypton, CF₄, SF₆, Acetylene, TiCl₄, and air were all easily dischargedat atmospheric pressures. It is thus believed that any number of gasescan be utilized, including but not limited to: air, Sulfur Hexafluoride(SF6), Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon Tetrafluoride (CF₄), Acetylene, Helium,Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, or mixtures of any of these gases.

Etching gases that can potentially be used include Fluorinated gases forsemiconductor etching applications may be used such as CF₄, SF₆, CHF₃,Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF₃), and Hydrofluoric Acid (HF). Also chlorinatedgases used for etching applications such as Boron Trichloride (BCl₃),Chlorine (Cl₂), and Hydrochloric Acid (HCl). Also hydrogen containinggases used in etching such as Hydrogen (H₂), Ammonia (NH₃), Methane(CH₄), and alcohols such as Methanol (CH₃OH) can potentially be used.Gases for the PECVD of Si may potentially be used such as Silane (SiH₄),Disilane (Si₂H₆), and Dichlorosilane (SiH₂Cl₂), Tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS) and other ortho silicate gases.

Other gases for the deposition of semiconductor materials such asgermane (GeH₄), zinc chloride (ZnCl₂), dimethylzinc (DMZn),trimethylgallium (TMGa), gallium trichloride (GaCl₃), hydrogen sulfide(H₂S), and arsine (AsH₃) can also potentially be used.

Metal containing gases for metal deposition such as tantalumpentafluoride (TaF₅), tungsten hexafluoride (WF₆), titaniumtetreachloride (TiCl₄), molybdenum hexafluoride (MoF₆), aluminumchloride (AlCl₃), aluminum acetylacetate, copper acetonylacetonate,nickel acetate, nickel carbonyl, hafnium chloride (HfCl₄), and othermetal containing gases can potentially be used. Carbon containing gasessuch as methane, ethane, propane, etc. can potentially be used.

Gases that are useful in sterilization such as oxygen, nitrogen, air,ozone, HCl, KOH or mixtures of these gases can potentially be used.

Functionalization can potentially be carried out using for example thefluorinated gases such as SF₆, CHF₃, CF₄, to add F to surfaces or gasescontaining hydroxyl groups such as acetic acid, water, alcohols, orother larger molecular groups to add hydroxyl groups to surfaces.

Other gases that are not readily available in the gas phase may beboiled from the liquid phase and introduced into the plasma system. Forexample water may be boiled to produce steam which can be introduced tothe chamber with or without a carrier gas. To summarize, the gas used isdependent upon the work that is desired to be carried out by or in theplasma. Many other gases may be used without limitation.

Another embodiment consistent with the present invention is depicted inthe simplified schematic block diagram showing an apparatus forgenerating fast voltage rise times, with high current capabilities forplasma generation in dielectric barrier discharge plasmas is drawn inFIG. 14. In this embodiment, a high voltage power source 202 is used tocharge one or more high voltage capacitors in a storage capacitor bank204. The term “capacitor bank” is used in this context to mean one ormore capacitors arranged in any series and/or parallel configuration toproduce a desired level of capacitive storage of energy whilewithstanding the very high voltages (e.g., 10-60 kV or greater) producedby the high voltage DC power supply 202. In prototypes, a bank of fourcapacitors—two sets of series capacitors arranged in parallel, were usedto produce 0.03 microfarads of capacitance with a voltage rating of 70kV, but a single capacitor or other capacitor arrangements couldsimilarly be used without limitation. With all embodiments, due to thehigh voltages and currents being used, due care is to be exercised inproperly arranging wiring, use of conductors with large surface area,and cautious circuit arrangement to prevent arcing, wire burnout andother dangerous phenomenon.

In parallel with the storage capacitor bank is a switching device 206 tothe load. The switching device 206 will not conduct until eithertriggered and/or the difference between voltages at supply side testpoint 214 and load side test point 216 exceeds the threshold voltage ofthe switching device, depending upon the nature of switching device 206.

The output of switching device 206 is connected to a recovery circuit208, a mode circuit 210, and a dielectric barrier discharge circuit 212.The function of the mode circuit 210 and the recovery circuit 208 willbe discussed later. The embodiment of the dielectric barrier dischargecircuit depicted in FIG. 14 has a first electrode 50, a dielectricbarrier material 56 attached to the first electrode, and a secondelectrode 52. The dielectric barrier material and the second electrodein this embodiment are separated by a discharge gap 82 that can rangefrom, for example, about one tenth of a millimeter to several tens ofmillimeters (e.g., up to about 40-50 mm) in spacing at atmosphericpressures with a preferred spacing being dependent upon the specificapplication of the discharge being produced.

Once switching device 206 begins conducting, the voltage at the loadside test point 216 rises as does the voltage at the first electrode 50.The rise time of the voltage at the load side test point 216 and thefirst electrode 50 is sufficient to generate an extreme overvoltagecondition within the lag time and subsequently a plasma discharge acrossthe discharge gap 82 to the second electrode 52.

The impedance seen by the high voltage power source and capacitor bankat node 214 of the circuit in FIG. 14 is determined primarily by theimpedance of switching device 206 when the switching device is notconducting. When switching device 206 is not conducting, the impedanceof the switching device 206 is sufficient to hold off the voltage fromthe high voltage power source—that is, to prevent conduction anddischarge of the energy stored in capacitor bank 204. The capacitor bank204 should have the ability to withstand the voltage from the highvoltage power source and provide enough capacitance to store a suitableamount of energy to produce the requisite current flow in the gap. Inexperiments, capacitor banks totaling approximately 0.015-0.03 μF havebeen used with an overall ratings ranging from 35-70 kV (made up byseries and parallel combinations of high voltage capacitors). But, thesevalues should only be considered exemplary and not limiting. When theswitching device 206 is conducting the impedance of switching device 206is comparable to or less than the plasma impedance in the discharge gap.By way of example, and not limitation, in certain embodiments consistentwith the invention, the voltage at test point 214 is in the range ofseveral tens of kV (e.g., 35 kV), and the capacitor bank 204 is chargedto this high voltage level. When the switching device 206 is off, it ispreferable that no significant current passes through the switchingdevice 206 and the switching device 206 has an impedance that is veryhigh and is in fact essentially an open circuit. At the voltage levelsused in conjunction with certain embodiments, this is no small task asthe switch must neither conduct or arc when tens of kV are appliedacross its terminals. When on, the switching device 206 may have an “on”impedance in the range of several tens or hundreds of ohms, and ispreferably as low as possible. In comparison, the plasma in thedischarge gap 82 may have an impedance during conduction on the order ofabout one hundred ohms (for example).

The dielectric 56 used in the gap 82 can be any dielectric material withthickness and dielectric strength sufficient to withstand the appliedvoltage without breaking down. Successful experiments have been carriedout using various grades of alumina (Al₂O₃), Macor, and Polyimide filmshaving thicknesses ranging from 0.005 inches to 0.07 inches.

The formation of a plasma in the discharge gap results in a lowering ofthe resistance across the discharge gap and subsequently in an increasein the amount of charge transferred across the discharge gap. Theincreased charge transfer subsequently results in a drop in the gapvoltage across gap 82 as charge builds up on the dielectric barriermaterial. Once the gap voltage falls below the ionization potential ofthe gap media, the plasma discharge is terminated. At this point, anyresidual charge is dissipated through the recovery circuit 208.

FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of generating fast voltage rise times,with high current capabilities for plasma generation in dielectricbarrier discharge plasmas where the switching device is a self triggeredspark gap 228. The self-triggered spark gap triggers and becomesconducting when the voltage difference between the load side test point216 and the supply side test point 214 is greater than the thresholdvoltage of the self triggered spark gap. Upon triggering the voltage atthe load side test point 216, the voltage at the first electrode 50rises fast enough to generate an overvoltage condition prior toexpiration of the ionization lag time and subsequently a plasmadischarge is created across the discharge gap. In prototype embodiments,suitably rated commercially available PerkinElmer™ Optoelectronics(Fremont, Calif.) overvoltage spark gap models OGP-75-22 and OGP-75-24self discharging spark gap were successfully used with the voltageacross the spark gap rising to 22 or 24 kV respectively at which pointthe spark gap 228 conducted initiating the plasma generation in the gap82.

The rise in the voltage at the load side test point 216 causes thevoltage difference between the load side test point 216 and the supplyside test point 214 to fall well below the threshold voltage of the selftriggered spark gap 228, and subsequently the self triggered spark gap228 stops conducting. The voltage at the load side test point 216 ismaintained by the charge on the dielectric 56; therefore, to get theself-triggered spark gap 228 to conduct again, the recovery circuit 208is used to lower the voltage at the load side test point 216.

The recovery circuit 208 may have any suitable network of passive oractive electronic components (e.g., resistors, capacitors, and/orinductors) which serve to bleed-off the voltage at the load side testpoint to ground. One simple embodiment of the recovery circuit, asillustrated in FIG. 15, uses a recovery capacitor 230 and a recoveryresistor 232 in parallel with each other and connected between the loadside test point and ground. This particular embodiment of recoverycircuit 208 lowers the load side voltage over a time periodcharacterized by the RC time constant of the recovery resistor 232 andrecovery capacitor 230. The characteristic RC time constant in thisembodiment of the recovery circuit subsequently controls the length oftime between triggering events when the self triggered spark gap is usedas the switching device. It is noted that stray impedances may alsofactor into the recovery time.

Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the componentsused for elements 230 and 232 should be rated to withstand the highinstantaneous voltage levels from node 216 to ground to avoid damage tothe components. In experiments, values of resistor 232 ranging fromabout 1 to 4 megaohm have been used in conjunction with capacitor 230ranging from about 100 to 700 picofarads to produce RC time constants inthe range of 0.1 to 3 milliseconds, but of course, these values aremerely illustrative of those used in experiments conducted and are notto be considered limiting in any way.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment of a device for generating fast voltagerise times, with high current capabilities for plasma generation indielectric barrier discharge plasmas where the switching device used isa triggered spark gap 236. In prototype embodiments, a commerciallyavailable PerkinElmer™ Optoelectronics brand triggered spark gap modelGP-14B was successfully used. In the embodiment of FIG. 16, a tunableoscillator circuit 246 is used to drive a trigger generating circuit 244which produces a pulsed signal through a triggering transformer 242(commercially available PerkinElmer™ Optoelectronics model TR-1855) anda high voltage blocking capacitor 240 to cause the triggered spark gapswitching device 236 to begin conducting if the voltage differencebetween the supply side test point 214 and the load side test point 216is greater than the minimum operating voltage of the triggered sparkgap. Transformer 242 is used to increase the output of the triggergenerator to a voltage level adequate to assure switching of the sparkgap from the off state (non-conducting) to the on state (conducting). Atrigger resistor 238 is connected between the trigger electrode of thetriggered spark gap 236 (at the junction of the capacitor 240) and thesource side electrode 214 to establish a zero DC voltage on the triggerelectrode.

The embodiments of recovery circuit 208 used to lower the voltage at theload side test point when the self triggered spark gap 228 is used asthe switching device are also suitable when the triggered spark gap 236is used as the switching device 206. In the embodiment depicted in FIG.16, the RC time constant of the recovery circuit determines the time atwhich the threshold voltage across the triggered spark gap 236 will behigh enough to enable it to begin conducting again. The length of timebetween triggering events for the embodiment depicted in FIG. 16 may beset to any time equal to or greater than the recovery time characterizedby the RC time constant of the recovery circuit.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate upon consideration of thepresent teachings that in any of these embodiments, the high voltagepower source 202 can be devised to provide either a positive or negativevoltage with respect to ground so that the storage capacitor banks areeither positively charged or negatively charged to generate eitherpositive or negative output voltage steps that are ultimately deliveredto the gap 82.

Other embodiments for generating fast voltage rise times, with highcurrent capabilities for plasma generation in dielectric barrierdischarge plasmas include the use of the tunable oscillator circuit toregulate the flow of charge through other circuit components along withthe triggered spark gap. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 17, thebleed off of voltage at the load side test point 216 through therecovery circuit 208 can be timed to occur once the triggered spark gap236 stops conducting. In this embodiment a delay circuit 250, isattached between the tunable oscillator circuit 246 (e.g., a variableoscillator that can be varied in frequency over any suitable range offrequencies so that the plasma generation cycles are complete fromdischarge through a state wherein the charge on the dielectric 56 issuitably drained) and a second trigger generator circuit 252. After somepredefined period of time defined after triggering of the triggergenerator 244 defined by the delay of circuit 250 the second triggergenerator circuit 252 causes a second triggering transformer 254 (usedto assure that the trigger voltage from the trigger generator 252 isboosted to a voltage level adequate to assure triggering of the sparkgap 256 from the off state to the on state) to send a pulse to enable asecond triggered spark gap 256 to begin conducting. The conductionthrough the second triggered spark gap 256 enables the voltage at theload side test point 216 to be bled off to ground thereby dischargingany residual charge on the dielectric 56.

FIG. 18 shows a typical waveform for the output voltage at the firstelectrode in the embodiment of FIG. 16 as a function of time. The outputvoltage for the embodiment in FIG. 16 is characterized by a rise time262 sufficiently short to support the generation of an overvoltagewithin the lag time. Following the rise in voltage and a current pulse,the switching device 236 stops conducting and the recovery circuit 208begins bleeding of the voltage causing a voltage recovery 264 in theoutput waveform. The length of time between two rise times defines apulse period 266. The minimum length of time for the pulse period isdetermined by the recovery circuit and may be as small as microsecondsin certain embodiments.

The output voltage at the first electrode may contain one or morereverse discharge spikes 268 as shown in FIG. 19 if the discharge gap issufficiently small to support reverse discharges in the gap media. Thereverse discharge spikes occur when the voltage build up on thedielectric becomes large enough to support the formation of a plasmadischarge or microdischarges across the discharge gap. The reversedischarge spikes provide a possible mechanism of reducing residualcharge which can otherwise accumulate on the surface of the dielectricbarrier material. The reverse direction plasma discharges are generallysmaller and can be controlled by adjusting the neutral gas densitybetween the electrodes 50 and 52 through changes in operatingtemperature and pressure.

The mode circuit 210 can be fabricated of any network of passive oractive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, and/or inductors)which serve to modify the impedance between the load side test point andthe first electrode and in turn enable the total voltage and dischargecurrent characteristics to be controlled. The waveform of the currenttransported through the plasma discharge is shaped through the modecircuit. A shorted mode circuit 70 as show in FIG. 20A serves tominimize the impedance and maximize the magnitudes of the output currentto produce a spiked current profile 284 as depicted in FIG. 21B. Theshorted mode circuit produces high instantaneous currents with a spikewidth 280 that is on the order of 1-500 ns. A resistor mode circuit 272as shown in FIG. 20B increases the impedance causing the magnitude ofthe plasma current to decrease while substantially lengthening the timeperiod of the plasma discharge leading to a pedestal or exponentialcurrent profile 286 as depicted in FIG. 21C. In a third possibleembodiment of the mode circuit a mode capacitor 274 can be used toreduce the maximum voltage applied to the discharge gap and a recoverymode resistor 276 is used to bleed-off the voltage from the addedcapacitor and the first electrode before the next voltage step.Additional embodiments may be tailored to the specific current/voltageprofile most beneficial to a desired application. FIG. 21 compares thespiked current profile in FIG. 21B to the pedestal current profile ofFIG. 21 C for an input voltage waveform with rise time 262 and a lagtime 282 as depicted in FIG. 21A sufficient to produce an overvoltageacross the discharge gap during the lag time.

The dielectric barrier circuits embodied in FIGS. 14-17 have a planargeometry for both the first electrode 50 and the second electrode 52,but other geometries are also suitable including cylindrical geometries,spherical geometries, or any other geometry/combination of geometrieswhere two conducting electrodes are separated by a discharge gap. Thedielectric barrier circuits embodied in FIGS. 14-17 have the dielectricbarrier material attached to the first electrode 50, but otherplacements of the dielectric barrier 56 are also suitable such that thedielectric barrier material 56 is placed somewhere between the firstelectrode 50 and second electrode 52. Similarly, the shape of thedielectric barrier material is not limited to a planar geometry and cantake other shapes including but not limited to cylindrical tubes,spheres, coatings, and flexible films. The dielectric barrier materialembodied in FIGS. 14-17 is illustrated as a single layer, but othersuitable embodiments include the use of one or more layers composed ofone or more materials and/or material composites. Embodimentsincorporating more than one dielectric barrier material in the dischargegap are also suitable.

Numerous variations in the embodiments described are possible withoutdeparting from the present invention. FIG. 22 shows a simplified blockdiagram of one such embodiment in which two storage capacitor banks areused to generate either positive or negative output voltage steps. Thiscan be accomplished in any number of ways including use of multiple highvoltage power sources and alternating therebetween or by alternating thepolarity of the high voltage power source's output terminals onalternating cycles or by use of a plurality of storage capacitor banksare used to controllably switch between either positive or negativeoutput voltage steps. In this example, two fast rise time voltage stepgenerators are used to create an overvoltage plasma. The voltagessupplied by generators 302 and 306 may be both positive, both negative,or one may be positive and the other negative. In this embodiment acontrol switch 310 is used to keep the generators from supplyingvoltages to each other and to isolate the output of the generators tothe electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge. In this embodiment atrigger control 314 is used to manage when the generators create a stepvoltage with regard to each other and the position of the control switch310.

Another variant is depicted in FIG. 23 wherein multiple mode circuitsare used to adjust the width, amplitude, or decay of the dischargecurrent by switching between the multiple mode circuits. In thisexemplary embodiment, two such different mode circuits 320 and 324 areindividually selected by a switch 328 to select the desired mode.Additional embodiments may contain more than two mode circuits and/ormay contain more than one switch to provide selectivity betweendifferent modes. In addition, the switch may be switched manually or inaccord with a switch control mechanism (not shown) so that the modecircuit switching can be controlled during the time of the discharge todynamically change the discharge properties in accord with any of anumber control parameters as desired for the particular application. So,for example, the mode circuits can be switched after a specified delayfrom the step. Or, the mode may be switched by use of a delay andtrigger generator as is used to control the recovery circuitry aspreviously shown. Many variations will occur to those skilled in the artupon consideration of the present teachings.

In embodiments such as those presented, uniform glow discharges with anapparent absence of filamentary discharges have been obtained using avariety of gases and pressures in the gap, including air with pressuresup to and including atmospheric pressures and beyond. Uniform,non-filamentary atmospheric pressure discharges are advantageous in manyapplications since objects being treated may not have to first undergo aprocess of evacuation of the gap area down to low pressures. One examplebeing the sterilization processes described above wherein the plasma canprovide sterilization without need for special gases or pressures.

The spark gap switching devices used in prototypes are commonly used inhigh voltage crowbar type circuits which are used to prevent damage topower source loads in the event of a malfunction of a power source.While spark gaps used as switches in the current embodiments have beenfound effective, other switching devices may also be utilized providedthe switch has an internal impedance less than or on the order of theload impedance when the switch is closed and is capable of passingcurrents, for example, of a of amperes or kiloamperes and greater whenthe switch is closed, and capable of standing-off sufficient voltage tocreate the overvoltage when the switch is open, and has a suitably fastswitching time.

For reasons of economy the present discussion has emphasized air ornitrogen as the working gases in the gap, although, glow-like dischargeshave been produced with embodiment of the present invention device inNitrogen, Oxygen, Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆), Carbon Tetrafluoride CF₄),Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Acetylene (C₂H₂), Titanium Tetrachloride(TiCl₄), and mixtures of some of the previously mentioned gases. Forcomparison, the highest instantaneous power densities in nitrogen gas ina glow-like DBD have been reported by Golubovskii (˜2 kw/cm²). Thehighest value observed using techniques described in this application isapproximately 50 times as high at approximately 100 kW/cm².

Thus, in certain embodiments, a method of generating a fast-rise timevoltage step to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectricbarrier plasma discharge involves providing a pair of electrodes spacedapart by an electrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed inthe electrode gap; generating the fast-rise time voltage step such thatthe rise time to achieve the overvoltage condition is equal to or lessthan the time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing theovervoltage condition prior to current flow across the electrode gap;generating an output power from storage capacitor banks that dischargeinto the electrode gap through a switch with an internal impedance lessthan the load impedance when the switch is closed, capable of passingthe gap currents, typically amperes or a kiloampere or greater when theswitch is closed, and capable of standing-off sufficient overvoltagepotentials when the switch is open; and generating a discharge currentpulse across the electrode gap that is terminated by the chargingproperties of the dielectric(s) in the electrode gap.

In certain embodiments, a recovery circuit to reduce the magnitude ofthe voltage on the dielectric after the generation of each voltage step.In certain embodiments, the generation of voltage steps and thesubsequent recovery of the voltage to a prior voltage state constitutesa discharge cycle and a repetition frequency of these cycles isestablished. In certain embodiments, a mode circuit made up ofresistors, inductors, and/or capacitors is placed in series and/orparallel with the electrode gap to control the total width, amplitude,or decay of the discharge current In certain embodiments, the width,amplitude, or decay of the discharge current can be changed by switchingbetween multiple mode circuits comprising resistors, inductors, and/orcapacitors in series and/or parallel with the electrode gap. In certainembodiments, the total internal source impedance is less than thedischarge impedance, thereby delivering the maximum available power onevery cycle and producing an output current that scales proportionallywith electrode area. In certain embodiments, the storage capacitor banksare either positively charged or negatively charged to generate eitherpositive or negative output voltage steps. In certain embodiments, morethan one storage capacitor bank is used to controllably switch betweeneither positive or negative output voltage steps. In certainembodiments, the initial plasma discharge is followed by one or morethan one smaller reverse direction plasma discharges that assist in theremoval of charges from the dielectric. In certain embodiments, thereverse direction plasma discharges are controlled by adjusting theneutral gas density between the electrodes through changes in operatingtemperature and pressure. In certain embodiments, the overvoltagecondition produces runaway electrons in the plasma discharge. In certainembodiments, runaway electrons have sufficient energy to produce x-rays.In certain embodiments, a shock wave is created in the plasma by thedeposition of power in a working gas over a time period shorter than theacoustic transit time in the working gas. In certain embodiments, theinitial plasma discharge is followed by at least one smaller reversedirection plasma discharge that assists in the removal of charges fromthe dielectric

In another embodiment, a method of generating a fast-rise time voltagestep to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasmadischarge involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by anelectrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in theelectrode gap; generating the fast-rise time voltage step such that therise time to achieve the overvoltage condition is equal to or less thanthe time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing theovervoltage condition prior to current flow across the electrode gap;generating an output power from storage capacitor banks, whichdischarges rapidly into the electrode gap through a spark gap that selftriggers when a voltage differential across the spark gap is above acharacteristic threshold voltage of the spark gap; generating an outputcurrent pulse across the electrode gap that is terminated by thecharging properties of the dielectric(s) in the electrode gap.

In certain embodiments, a recovery circuit is used to reduce themagnitude of the voltage on the dielectric after the generation of eachvoltage step. In certain embodiments, the generation of voltage stepsand the subsequent recovery of the voltage to a prior voltage stateconstitute a discharge cycle and a repetition frequency of these cyclesis established. In certain embodiments, the width, amplitude, and decayof the discharge current can be switched between multiple combinationsof resistor, inductor, and/or capacitance networks in series or parallelwith the generator output. In certain embodiments, the storage capacitorbanks are either positively charged or negatively charged to generateeither positive or negative output voltage steps. In certainembodiments, more than one the storage capacitor bank is used tocontrollably switch between either positive or negative output voltagesteps.

In another embodiment, a method of generating a fast-rise time voltagestep to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasmadischarge involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by anelectrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in theelectrode gap; generating the fast-rise time voltage step such that therise time to achieve the overvoltage condition is equal to or less thanthe time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing theovervoltage condition prior to current flow across the electrode gap;generating an output power from storage capacitor banks, whichdischarges rapidly into the electrode gap through a triggered spark gapthat controllably generates voltage steps when a secondary circuitprovides a sufficient signal to enable current flow through thetriggered spark gap; generating an output current pulse across theelectrode gap that is terminated by the charging properties of thedielectric(s) in the electrode gap.

In certain embodiments, a recovery circuit to reduce the magnitude ofthe voltage on the dielectric after the generation of each voltage step.In certain embodiments, the generation of voltage steps and thesubsequent recovery of the voltage to a prior voltage state constitute adischarge cycle and a repetition frequency of these cycles isestablished. In certain embodiments, the width, amplitude, and decay ofthe discharge current can be switched between multiple combinations ofresistor, inductor, and/or capacitance networks in series or parallelwith the generator output. In certain embodiments, the storage capacitorbanks are either positively charged or negatively charged to generateeither positive or negative output voltage steps. In certainembodiments, more than one storage capacitor bank is used tocontrollably switch between either positive or negative output voltagesteps.

In certain embodiments, an apparatus for generating a fast-rise timevoltage step to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectricbarrier plasma discharge has a pair of electrodes spaced apart by anelectrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in theelectrode gap. A storage capacitor is provided. A high voltage powergenerator charges the storage capacitor to a voltage level adequate toproduce an overvoltage condition across the electrode gap. A switchcouples the storage capacitor to the electrode gap, the switch having anopen state and a closed state. Wherein, the switch when in the openstate is able to hold back a voltage level adequate to produce anovervoltage condition across the electrode gap and the switch when inthe closed state is able to withstand current passing through the plasmagenerated in the electrode gap, and the switch's switching time from theopen state to the closed state is less than the lag time for plasmadischarge across the electrode gap, so that switching the switch fromthe open state to the closed state generates the fast-rise time voltagestep such that the rise time to achieve the overvoltage condition isequal to or less than the time required to generate the plasma therebyestablishing the overvoltage condition prior to current flow across theelectrode gap. When the switch is switched from the open state to theclosed state, an output current pulse is generated across the electrodegap that is terminated by charging properties of the dielectric in theelectrode gap.

In certain embodiments, the switch can be a spark gap switch. In certainembodiments, the switch can be either one of a self triggering spark gapswitch and a triggered spark gap switch. In certain embodiments, arecovery circuit is used to reduce the magnitude of the voltage on thedielectric after the generation of the voltage step. In certainembodiments, the generation of the voltage step and the subsequentrecovery of the voltage to a prior voltage state constitutes a dischargecycle, and further a circuit is provided for repeatedly establishing thedischarge cycle at a repetition frequency. In certain embodiments, amode circuit is coupled to at least one of the electrodes to control thetotal width, amplitude, or decay of the discharge current pulse.

In another embodiment, an apparatus for generating a fast-rise timevoltage step to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectricbarrier plasma discharge has a pair of electrodes spaced apart by anelectrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in theelectrode gap. A storage capacitor is provided. A high voltage powergenerator charges the capacitor to a voltage level adequate to producean overvoltage condition across the electrode gap. A spark gap switchcouples the storage capacitor to the electrode gap, the switch having anopen state and a closed state. The switch when in the open state is ableto hold back a voltage level adequate to produce an overvoltagecondition across the electrode gap, and the switch when in the closedstate is able to withstand current passing through the plasma generatedin the electrode gap. The switch's switching time from the open state tothe closed state is less than the lag time for plasma discharge acrossthe electrode gap, so that switching the switch from the open state tothe closed state generates the fast-rise time voltage step such that therise time to achieve the overvoltage condition is equal to or less thanthe time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing theovervoltage condition prior to current flow across the electrode gap.When the switch is switched from the open state to the closed state, anoutput current pulse is generated across the electrode gap that isterminated by charging properties of the dielectric in the electrodegap. A recovery circuit reduces the magnitude of the voltage on thedielectric after the generation of the voltage step.

In certain embodiments, the switch can be a self triggering spark gapswitch. In certain embodiments, the switch can be a triggered spark gapswitch; and the generation of the voltage step and the subsequentrecovery of the voltage to a prior voltage state constitutes a dischargecycle; and an oscillator establishes the discharge cycle at a repetitionfrequency, and which triggers the triggered spark gap switch at therepetition frequency.

A method of generating a fast-rise time voltage step to produce anovervoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasma discharge involvesproviding a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap andhaving one or more dielectrics disposed in the gap; generating fast-risetime voltage step such that the rise time to achieve the overvoltagecondition is equal to or less than the time required to generate theplasma thereby establishing the overvoltage condition prior to currentflow across the electrode gap. Power from storage capacitor banksdischarge into the electrode gap through a switch. The switch is capableof standing-off voltage sufficient to create the overvoltage conditionwhen the switch is open. The discharge current pulse across theelectrode gap is terminated by charging properties of the dielectric(s)in the electrode gap.

Hence, certain of the various embodiments address a problem ofgenerating fast voltage rise times, with current capabilities in excessof kiloamperes, across the electrode gap of a dielectric barrierdischarge without the use of Blumleins by making use of theself-terminating behavior of dielectric barrier discharges. Thus, thescalability of the output power with electrode area is improved bygenerating fast rise time voltage steps for dielectric barrierdischarges with internal circuit impedances less than the load impedanceof the gap during discharge, thereby eliminating the need to match theimpedance during differing applications and loads. In experimentsconducted using the above circuits, a range of about 11 cm² to about 100cm² has been used for electrode areas without need for adjustment in thecircuit parameters. Hence, the same circuitry can be quite readilyadapted to a wide range of uses without substantial modification to tunethe circuit as would be required in traditional Blumlein circuits.

In accordance with certain embodiments, various attributes of the plasmadischarge have been observed and these can be enhanced to suit therequirements for particular applications. By way of example, and withoutany suggestion that any or all of the present attributes are necessaryconditions which are present in any given embodiment, the followingobservations (and associated theories, to which the presently claimedinvention is not to be bound) are presented:

-   -   The sharp rise time which produces the extreme overvoltage        increases the average electron energy and under some conditions        may produce high energy runaway electrons.    -   The runaway electrons produced under extreme overvoltage        conditions may be used to generate x-rays from the plasma        discharge.    -   A combined RF and pulsed power supply can potentially be used to        achieve overvoltage conditions without altering the pulse        generator. A synchronizer can be used for timing the generation        of pulsed voltage so that pulses are applied at the most        beneficial part of the RF voltage waveform. This combination        increases the power to the pulses and increases the energy of        the electrons.    -   The extreme overvoltage can produce a plasma discharge in any        gaseous media over a range of pressures from a few atmospheres        to a millitorr.    -   The extreme overvoltage can produce a plasma discharge at the        surface of a liquid or porous media over a range of pressures        from a few atmospheres to a millitorr.    -   The delivery of power to the media in the plasma discharge        resulting from the over voltage condition produces a shock wave        in the media. Shockwaves can be used to mix the media and mix        solid particles in the discharge gap.    -   Embodiments consistent with the present invention may be well        suited for a number of applications including but not limited to        sterilization, deposition, etching, functionalization of        surfaces, porous-like materials, and particles, dissociation of        gases, abatement processes, ozone generation, generation of        porous-like materials, x-ray generation, light emission, and        laser emission.

Many variations will occur to those skilled in the art uponconsideration of the present teachings. While certain embodiments hereinwere described in conjunction with specific circuitry that carries outthe functions described, other embodiments are contemplated in whichother circuitry can be used to carry out the functions described. Asnoted above, much of this discussion has involved theory of operationthat has not yet been fully explored and proven, thus, the claims shouldnot be restricted on the basis of the disclosed theory.

While certain illustrative embodiments have been described, it isevident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations andvariations will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light ofthe foregoing description.

1. A method of generating a fast-rise time voltage step to produce anovervoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasma dischargecomprising: providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrodegap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in the electrode gap;generating said fast-rise time voltage step having a rise time that isshort enough to achieve the overvoltage condition in time less than alag time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing saidovervoltage condition prior to current flow across said electrode gap;generating an output power from storage capacitor banks that dischargeinto the electrode gap through a switch with an internal impedance lessthan the impedance of the gap during conduction when said switch isclosed; wherein the switch is capable of passing amperes of current whenthe switch is closed; wherein the switch is capable of standing-offvoltage sufficient to create the overvoltage condition when the switchis open; generating a discharge current pulse across the electrode gapthat is terminated by charging properties of the one or more dielectricsin the electrode gap.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein theswitch comprises a spark gap switch.
 3. The method according to claim 2,wherein the switch comprises a self triggering spark gap switch.
 4. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein the switch comprises a triggeredspark gap switch.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprisinga recovery circuit to reduce the magnitude of the voltage on thedielectric after the generation of each voltage step.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the generation of the voltage step and thesubsequent recovery of the voltage to a prior voltage state constitutesa discharge cycle; and further comprising establishing a repetitionfrequency of the discharge cycle to produce repeated discharges.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1 further comprising using a mode circuitcoupled to at least one of the electrodes to control the total width,amplitude, or decay of the discharge current pulse.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 7 further comprising adjusting the width, amplitude,or decay of the discharge current by switching between multiple modecircuits.
 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the total internalsource impedance seen by the discharge gap is less than the dischargeimpedance, thereby producing an output current that scales approximatelyproportionally with electrode area.
 10. The method according to claim 1wherein the storage capacitor banks are either positively charged ornegatively charged to generate either positive or negative outputvoltage steps.
 11. The method according to claim 1 wherein a pluralityof storage capacitor banks are used to controllably switch betweeneither positive or negative output voltage steps.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the initial plasma discharge is followed byat least one smaller reverse direction plasma discharges that assists inthe removal of charges from said dielectric.
 13. The method according toclaim 1 wherein said reverse direction plasma discharges are controlledby adjusting the neutral gas density between the electrodes throughchanges in operating temperature and pressure.
 14. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the overvoltage condition produces runaway electronsin the plasma discharge.
 15. An apparatus for generating a fast-risetime voltage step to produce an overvoltage condition for a dielectricbarrier plasma discharge, comprising: a pair of electrodes spaced apartby an electrode gap and having one or more dielectrics disposed in theelectrode gap; a storage capacitor; a high voltage power generator thatcharges the capacitor to a voltage level adequate to produce anovervoltage condition across the electrode gap; a switch coupling thestorage capacitor to the electrode gap, said switch having an open stateand a closed state; wherein, the switch when in the open state is ableto hold back a voltage level adequate to produce an overvoltagecondition across the electrode gap; wherein the switch when in theclosed state is able to withstand current passing through the plasmagenerated in the electrode gap; wherein the switch's switching time fromthe open state to the closed state is less than the lag time for plasmadischarge across the electrode gap; so that switching the switch fromthe open state to the closed state generates the fast-rise time voltagestep such that the rise time to achieve the overvoltage condition isequal to or less than the time required to generate the plasma therebyestablishing said overvoltage condition prior to current flow acrosssaid electrode gap; and wherein when the switch is switched from theopen state to the closed state, an output current pulse is generatedacross the electrode gap that is terminated by charging properties ofthe one or more dielectrics in the electrode gap.
 16. The apparatusaccording to claim 15 wherein the switch comprises a spark gap switch.17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the switch comprises atleast one of a self triggering spark gap switch and a triggered sparkgap switch.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprisinga recovery circuit to reduce the magnitude of the voltage on thedielectric after the generation of the voltage step.
 19. The apparatusaccording to claim 15, wherein the generation of the voltage step andthe subsequent recovery of the voltage to a prior voltage stateconstitutes a discharge cycle, and further comprising means forrepeatedly establishing the discharge cycle at a repetition frequency.20. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a modecircuit coupled to at least one of the electrodes to control the totalwidth, amplitude, or decay of the discharge current pulse.
 21. Anapparatus for generating a fast-rise time voltage step to produce anovervoltage condition for a dielectric barrier plasma discharge,comprising: a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap andhaving one or more dielectrics disposed in the electrode gap; a storagecapacitor; a high voltage power generator that charges the capacitor toa voltage level adequate to produce an overvoltage condition across theelectrode gap; a spark gap switch coupling the storage capacitor to theelectrode gap, said switch having an open state and a closed state;wherein, the switch when in the open state is able to hold back avoltage level adequate to produce an overvoltage condition across theelectrode gap; wherein the switch when in the closed state is able towithstand current passing through the plasma generated in the electrodegap; wherein the switch's switching time from the open state to theclosed state is less than the lag time for plasma discharge across theelectrode gap; so that switching the switch from the open state to theclosed state generates the fast-rise time voltage step such that therise time to achieve the overvoltage condition is equal to or less thanthe time required to generate the plasma thereby establishing saidovervoltage condition prior to current flow across said electrode gap;wherein when the switch is switched from the open state to the closedstate, an output current pulse is generated across the electrode gapthat is terminated by charging properties of the one or more dielectricsin the electrode gap.
 22. The apparatus according to claim 21, whereinthe switch comprises at least one of a self triggering spark gap switchand a triggered spark gap switch.
 23. The apparatus according to claim21, further including a recovery circuit to reduce the magnitude of thevoltage on the dielectric after the generation of the voltage step. 24.The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the generation of thevoltage step and the subsequent recovery of the voltage to a priorvoltage state constitutes a discharge cycle, and further comprisingmeans for repeatedly establishing the discharge cycle at a repetitionfrequency.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising amode circuit coupled to at least one of the electrodes to control thetotal width, amplitude, or decay of the discharge current pulse.